What are some exercises for a better butt?

The butt is a "trouble spot" for many women - myself included. The good news is there are endless exercises you can do to help tone and shape your butt.

Some of my personal favorite exercises for targeting the butt area include:

• All variation of lunges (forward, backward, lateral, static, and walking lunges)
• Squats
• Stiff legged deadlifts (make sure to keep your back straight when performing this exercise)
• Bulgarian split squats
• Cable kickbacks
• Bridging
• Step ups
• Spinning

The key to making sure you are really targeting the butt is to always make sure you are pushing through your heels instead of the toes when performing the exercises listed above. Pressing through the toes will target more the front of the thighs so always concentrate on pressing through the heels when standing up from squats, lunges, deadlifts and other butt exercises.

As a personal trainer I have many female clients that share your desire for a more toned and shapely backside. There are several exercises that will target your butt and these are a few of my favorites:

Squats
Lunges
Step Ups
Fire Hydrants
Donkey Kicks
Butt Bridges
Cable Abductions

Remember to follow a healthy nutrition plan, participate in a resistance training program, and perform cardiovascular exercise on a regular basis so you can see the results of your hard work. 

I am a woman and trainer in her 40's who desires a nice sculpted backside. Squats are great. Lunges are great too, but you need to have good balance for lunges. I have a Stairmaster for my cardio so that helps, but remember good 'ole leg lifts? I watch a YouTube video everyday called 8 Minutes Buns. Love it.  Works great and it's free.

Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMnW7bbkV6Q

A great exercise to help firm your glutes will be to complete bridges:

• Bridging – lay on you back and bring your heels close to your hips. Next drive your weight through your heels and lift your hips off the ground. Lift until you form a straight line between your shoulders and knees. Return to start but do not let hips full touch the ground.

Your glutes are your body’s largest and most powerful muscle group. Training these muscles will make you stronger in your lifts, enhance athletic performance, reduce risk of injury, and give you a shapely bum. Two exercises that target your glutes are cable pull throughs and barbell hip thrusts.

• Cable Pull Throughs—Use a low pulley cable machine with a rope attachment. Stand with your back to the weight stack and legs shoulder width or wider apart. Bend over at the hip keeping your back straight, reach back and between your legs grabbing the rope. Pull the cable by thrusting your hips forward and standing upright. Squeeze your glutes the top.

• Barbell Hip Thrusts—sit down with a barbell across your lap, next to and with your back against a bench. With your feet flat on the floor, next to you buttocks, lean into the bench with your shoulders. Drive your heels into the floor and thrust your hips to the ceiling, lifting the barbell. These are a type of weighted bridges.

You can find examples of both of these great exercises on youtube.